Brett Adcock - Shawn Ryan’s First Interview with a Robot | SRS #292

Brett Adcock is a technology entrepreneur focused on building companies in robotics, artificial intelligence, and aerospace. Born and raised on a third-generation farm in central Illinois, he developed an early fascination with technology and building systems from the ground up. After attending the University of Florida, he set out to tackle ambitious, capital-intensive industries with the goal of reshaping transportation, labor, and human-machine collaboration. At 26, Adcock founded Vettery, an AI-powered talent marketplace that matched thousands of companies with highly qualified candidates. The company scaled rapidly and was acquired in 2018 for $110 million by The Adecco Group, the world’s largest recruiting firm. In 2018, he founded Archer Aviation to develop electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft aimed at transforming urban air mobility. During his time leading the company, Adcock helped architect, engineer, and flight-test five generations of aircraft, vertically integrating key technologies including flight software, electric motors, actuation systems, and battery systems. Archer secured a $1.5 billion partnership with United Airlines and positioned itself at the forefront of next-generation aviation. In 2022, Adcock founded Figure, where he serves as Founder & CEO. Figure is building general-purpose humanoid robots designed to address global labor shortages and work alongside humans in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, retail, and the home. Backed by leading investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, the company has raised billions in venture capital and is focused on deploying embodied AI systems at scale. He is also the founder of Cover (2023–present), an AI security company developing non-intrusive scanners in partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The technology is designed to passively detect concealed weapons in crowded environments, with the goal of improving public safety without invasive screening. Follow the market: ⁠https://polymarket.com/event/ai-bubble-burst-by Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoujZQZatbqy4KGcgjpVxQ/join Shawn Ryan Show Links SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/@ShawnRyanShow Sign up: https://shawnryanshow.com/pages/newsletter Support the Show: https://www.patreon.com/VigilanceElite #vigilanceelite #shawnryanshow Brett Adcock Links: X - https://x.com/adcock_brett IG - https://www.instagram.com/brett_adcock WEB - https://www.brettadcock.com LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettadcock Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: SpotOn GPS Fence — trusted by Shawn Ryan for his dog Stanley. The most reliable GPS dog fence: 100% secure from backyard to backcountry with virtual boundaries you control from your phone. No wires, no digging. Sets up in minutes, any size, any shape, anywhere. Learn more: ⁠https://spotonfence.com/srs⁠ Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at ⁠https://shopify.com/srs⁠ Get 20% off Rho Nutrition Liposomal NAD+ for clean, sustained energy and sharper focus with code SRS at ⁠https://rhonutrition.com/discount/SRS⁠ risk-free 60-day money-back guarantee. If you're serious about selling to the Department of War, go to ⁠https://SBIRAdvisors.com⁠ and mention Shawn Ryan for your first month free. 00:00 Welcome and Intro 03:03 Safety and Trust in Humanoids 08:48 AI Bubble and Abundance 16:34 Small Town Roots and Early Hustles 27:20 Archer Aviation and Flying Cars 36:43 All In on Archer 38:25 Building the Flying Robot 45:39 Sky Lanes Future Cities 49:59 Uber for Air Taxis 52:37 Humanoids Origin Story 01:01:19 Self Funding Figure AI 01:35:11 Figure 3 Robot Tour 01:57:08 Solving General Robotics 02:00:43 Robot Teamwork and Self Repair 02:03:45 Manufacturing Back in America 02:11:30 Cover School Safety Tech 02:43:18 Robot Risk Big Question 02:48:44 Advice For Founders